Bacalao Al Pil Pil Recipe

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

Try our Bacalao Al Pil Pil recipe! One of most enigmatic dishes of the Basque repertoire. Salted cod, garlic, dried guindilla chilli and olive oil create the pil pil sauce, a sometimes tricky emulsion thicken by turning the pan in circular mode to allow for the natural gelatine of the cod to emulsify with the warm oil, magical and truly tasty.

30 mins

4 people

Ingredients
Method

4 salt cod fillets, weighing 200g each
500ml extra virgin olive oil 1˚
4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
4 parsley stalks
1 guindilla or dried long chillie, thinly sliced

Before hand, you will need to desalt the salt cod by placing it in a bowl and covering it with water for 48 hours and changing the water three times per day. This will remove all the salt crust in which the fish fillets have been covered.
Make sure you remove any bones off the cod fillets with the help of a pair of tweezers by running your finger across the flesh and check that all pieces are clean of any scales left on the skin. Pat dry well with a tea towel and place in a large round earth ware dish, skin side up.
In a large earthenware pan, warm the garlic slices in the oil, when they begin to colour, remove from the heat and throw in the parsley stalks and dried guindilla chilli slices.
Strain the oil onto the salt cod, lifting the fillets so the oil goes underneath them. Place the dish on a low heat and start to warm up. When u can see that the bacalao begins to release its natural gelatine from its flesh, allow it to cool down slightly by moving off the heat and begin to move the dish anti clockwise to allow the oil to emulsify with the cod's gelatine. Warm the dish again on low heat and with a wooden spatula, press lightly on the salt cod fillets so the oils are released and helps thicken the sauce.
Remove from the heat, allow the bacalao to cool down slightly and give the dish some last movements to ensure the sauce is blended well.
Add the garlic slices and guindilla chilli. Lift carefully and serve immediately flesh side up.

Ingredients

4 salt cod fillets, weighing 200g each
500ml extra virgin olive oil 1˚
4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
4 parsley stalks
1 guindilla or dried long chillie, thinly sliced

Method

Before hand, you will need to desalt the salt cod by placing it in a bowl and covering it with water for 48 hours and changing the water three times per day. This will remove all the salt crust in which the fish fillets have been covered.
Make sure you remove any bones off the cod fillets with the help of a pair of tweezers by running your finger across the flesh and check that all pieces are clean of any scales left on the skin. Pat dry well with a tea towel and place in a large round earth ware dish, skin side up.
In a large earthenware pan, warm the garlic slices in the oil, when they begin to colour, remove from the heat and throw in the parsley stalks and dried guindilla chilli slices.
Strain the oil onto the salt cod, lifting the fillets so the oil goes underneath them. Place the dish on a low heat and start to warm up. When u can see that the bacalao begins to release its natural gelatine from its flesh, allow it to cool down slightly by moving off the heat and begin to move the dish anti clockwise to allow the oil to emulsify with the cod's gelatine. Warm the dish again on low heat and with a wooden spatula, press lightly on the salt cod fillets so the oils are released and helps thicken the sauce.
Remove from the heat, allow the bacalao to cool down slightly and give the dish some last movements to ensure the sauce is blended well.
Add the garlic slices and guindilla chilli. Lift carefully and serve immediately flesh side up.

Add To Basket

Marques de Murrieta Capellania 2016

£36.50

Salt Cod Loin Small

£12.50

Senorio de la Mesa

£35.50

Chef's Profile

Javier De La Hormaza

Javier is a Basque born, trained chef and hospitality professional, owner of Basco Fine Foods, a Spanish food and drink importer based in Yorkshire. He regularly runs client food and drink events around the country and he is a course tutor at Hartingtons of Bakewell cookery school. Javier’s passion lies on bringing quality Spanish ingredients and recipes to as many people as possible.

Twitter: @bascofinefoods
Instagram: @mrbasco

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Bacalao Al Pil Pil Recipe

Marques de Murrieta Capellania 2016

Salt Cod Loin Small